


The Siren Ink

by halcyyonn



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Pirate, F/M, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 20:22:11
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23943031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/halcyyonn/pseuds/halcyyonn
Summary: The ocean is ruled by sirens, everyone knows that. Pirates return from the sea with ink covering their skin and stories of shipwrecks and the monsters from the deep. Ink tells a story, wraps itself around your mind until all you can think of is the creature that pulled you into the dark water where no human should be.
Relationships: Lê Chiến Kim/Ondine
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	The Siren Ink

Even if you survived the sirens, you weren’t free of them. They left their mark on you, a permanent reminder of how close you had been to death. The ink stained your skin, bled through your body until it covered you, enveloped you just like the inky waters once had. 

Sometimes, the ink told stories. Old stories whispered from the mind of a siren onto human skin, words passed down and spun into pictures. Pictures that stayed until their host was dead, both more permanent and less permanent than any other work of art. The siren’s ink was artwork contaminated by mortality and influenced by a countdown no one could see.

The more ink that was on your skin, the more time that had passed since your run-in with the sea. It showed how long you had survived despite the memories that suffocated your thoughts, despite the nightmares that plagued your sleep. Once the sea had left its mark on you, the only escape was death. Some people chose that, throwing themselves back into the sea, but others stubbornly refused to give up. They refused to beg for the mercy of the waves, refused to accept their inevitable fates.

Even though they would all succumb to them eventually. It was just a matter of time. 

One side effect of being marked by a siren was that you would be pulled towards the sea. You would gravitate to the waves, be swayed by the promise of returning to a home you had never had, be summoned by the offer of safety, forever. Except that safety can be suffocating, and even the most beautiful roses have thorns.

Which is why the very idea of beautiful monsters doing the bidding of the waves disgusted Kim, repulsed every cell in his being. That hatred was only magnified by the siren floating in front of him, acting as if destroying ships was a normal thing for her. “Do you ever feel bad for leading people to their deaths? Do you feel remorse for those that are left behind? Does that ink burn your skin with the sins it was created from?”

The siren in front of him laughed, completely unaffected by his words. “Why are humans so dramatic? The oceans are where we roam, yet you feel entitled to going wherever you want? You are arrogant and deserve the fate so many of your kind suffer.”

Kim slammed his hand against the wall of the bubble that surrounded him. “You are a monster!”

”Remind me, can humans breathe underwater?” The siren moved closer, placing her hand against the bubble separating. Ink spread from her fingers to the bubble, slowly turning covering it in black. “Because last time I checked, at this depth, you would die very quickly if this bubble were to disappear.”

“I hate your kind.”

“My kind? At least we stay where we belong, where we can exist without the risk of death.”

“You are cowards who hide in the depths of the sea and drag innocent sailors to their dooms. You leave marks on sailor’s skin that drives them mad over time, if they don’t allow themselves to be drowned the first they time they see a siren!”

A smirk stretched across the siren’s face, revealing sharp teeth. “Do you know how many of my sisters have been captured and killed by humans? I cannot count how many sirens have been lost to human greed and ignorance, how many have been cut open to be studied or put on display for people to gawk at them! But when we leave our marks of warning on sailors who stray too close, we’re the monsters?”

There was nothing to say to that. For his entire life, Kim had been told the sirens were monsters, that they dragged innocent men and women into the depths of the ocean, only retuning them when their minds were destroyed. But hearing it from a siren’s perspective was beginning to make him question everything he knew about the sea and the creatures that called it home. 

“It’s such a shame that you have to be returned to land. You’re different to the others, you have more fight in you.”

“I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Good, it was intended as one.”

The black ink covering the bubble began to recede, allowing Kim a clearer view of the siren in front of him. Now that he wasn’t solely focused on trying to escape, he could really look at her. “Are you going to release me?”

Until now, he hadn’t realised there was enough light to see clearly, even though they were deep in the ocean. There shouldn’t be any light, yet he could make out the colour of her skin, even the exact way her eyes moved, flicking over different parts of his face. Observing him, almost studying him. It was unnerving. 

“When the time is right. After all, you haven’t been gone for that long, and I would only be returning you to a shattered ship and drowning crewmates. I’m sure you would rather not see your friends die in front of you, not many people want to. It’s understandable.” The siren glanced off to the side, even though there was nothing there. “Do you have a name?”

How did she not know? From all the stories he had heard, sirens could force their way into your head and change or remove anything they wanted. They could mess with your mind, just like the ink they controlled. But, considering everything else that had happened recently, Kim knew he couldn’t really trust the stories. “It’s Kim.”

“I would say it’s nice to meet you, Kim, but I feel like you wouldn’t agree.” The siren placed her hand against the bubble, once again allowing the ink dripping from her fingers to cover it. When the bubble was nearly covered, it began to lift, floating back towards the surface. 

“Wait, are you going to tell me your name?” Kim pressed his hand against the bubble, not caring about the burning that came from the ink staining his palm. 

“Sirens don’t have names after they become one with the sea. Most don’t even remember their lives before the ocean.” The siren floated alongside the bubble, gently flicking her tail to propel herself. 

“Are you most sirens?”

“No. My name was Ondine, but you won’t remember that after you return to the surface.”

“What do you mean I won’t remember it? Other people remember their encounters with sirens!” Why would she put so much effort into dragging him down here and telling him so much, despite knowing he would forget it all? It made no sense.

Ondine smiled, a small, sad smile that whispered of lonely days in the dark. “That’s how we stay safe. If you can’t remember where we were, you can’t find us again until the ocean wants you to return. It stops us being hunted. Ask anyone who’s been taken by the sirens. All they remember is that we exist and we’re dangerous, but they never remember the details.”

“I don’t want to forget you, though. I don’t want to forget everything you told me because I know I’ll return to the way I was before.”

“You won’t forget what I told you, just who I was. Don’t worry, you’ll return one day, when you’re summoned.” Ondine pressed both of her hands against the bubble, stopping it again. 

“How do I stay here, underwater?”

Ondine shook her head. “Humans can’t stay here, you’ll drown.”

“Then turn me into a siren.”

“Where did this come from? You hated sirens earlier, and now you want to become one?”

Kim thought for a moment, considering his options. “Can you let me out of this bubble?”

Glancing up towards the surface, Ondine decided he wouldn’t be in too much danger here. Besides, she could always send him back to shore on the waves. She dragged her finger down the bubble, splitting in in half. It dissolved into the water and Kim was released. “Why did you want to be released?”

“So I could do this.” Kim reached forward, cupping Ondine’s face in his hand. As he leaned in, she pushed him away, putting distance between them. 

“You can’t. You’ll die. Sirens are born from violent deaths at sea, created only to harm others. I couldn’t let you put yourself at risk. Goodbye, Kim.” Pulling at the water around them, Ondine pushed Kim back towards the shore. While he wouldn’t remember the small details of their meeting, she would never forget them. No matter what happened. 

“Goodbye, Ondine. I hope I remember you when we next meet.”

“So do I.”


End file.
